Conduit is manufactured in bulk quantities extending much longer than needed in many applications. Plastic pipe or tubing of this type is often spun around large spools for convenient shipping and storage. When a portion of pipe is needed, a segment must be cut from the larger spool. Sections are cut according to specific length requirements. To separate the pipe into usable portions, a cutting tool is required. Sectioning of the pipes should result in a clean cut that allows for the pipes to be easily attached to pipe fittings. For example, in the installation of irrigation networks the piping is usually cut on-sight, preferably with a lightweight handheld tool, into the desired pipe segments to construct the network.
Typically, lightweight cutting-tools have a pair of handles that are pivotally attached to one another, and are operated to cause a cutting jaw, formed by a cutting blade and an anvil to squeeze down and cut the conduit. A major shortcoming with these cutting tools is pipe deformation. Since the pipe material is flexible or malleable, when the cutting jaw squeezes the pipe between its blade and opposing anvil, the cross-section of the pipe changes shape. That is, the cross-section of the pipe flattens to an oval or egg shape, instead of retaining its preferred circular shape.
After the cutting operation is finished, the pipe does not necessarily return to its circular cross-section but, instead, remains in the deformed shape. This requires manual reshaping of the pipe to a pre-cut circular cross-sectional shape before the pipe can be attached to any fittings, for instance, many junction fittings require the conduit have a circular cross-section in order to be received into the socket. In addition, deformation during the cutting process tends to cause an uneven cut, which may require that section of pipe to be recut.
Where large irrigation networks are installed, many pipe cuts are made during the construction process, and thus, lots of pipe reshaping and/or recutting is required. Such reshaping or recutting consumes valuable time, which decreases productivity and increases the cost of installations.
In addition to being a time saver, a tool used on-site is preferably versatile. The piping or tubes used typically vary in diameter, and therefore, cutting tools are preferably universal in nature to be used with different diameters and materials. Versatility can decrease the number of tools that the installer must carry to install irrigation networks.
Accordingly, there is a need for an improved cutting tool for sectioning flexible pipe that does not cause deformation in the pipe during the cutting operation.